Caving Club offers students subterranean adventures

Sophomore Lauren Pollock was a little nervous when she was handed a mud-encrusted miner's helmet at the narrow jagged entrance of Fredericksburg Cave in Washington, Ind. She had never gone into a non-commercial cave before.\nWith her roommate in tow, she crawled in after the caving group, being careful not to step in too much mud. The strategy did not last very long. Twenty minutes into the trip, Pollock was wading in three feet of 50 degree water. \nWhen she came back to the surface four hours later she was cold and wet, but was glad she made it. The cavers were all dirty and tired, but somehow they had just enough energy to laugh and reminisce over Mexican food before driving home to Bloomington.\nThe IU Caving Club, formerly the IU Spelunking Club, consists of about 30 adventure-seekers who share a love for the great outdoors. Two or three times a month this group, composed mostly of students, explores the immense complex of caves below Indiana's soil.\nFrom backpacking in Alaska to camping and hiking in the Midwest, the Caving Club's returning president, senior Brian Killingbeck, said he has always been fascinated with nature. He said his passion inspired him to seek out new caving adventures. \n"Climbing and traversing different cave passages required many of the same skills," Killingbeck said. \nMembership officer and faculty member Danny Rice started caving in Martin County when he was about 13.\n"I did a lot of searching for new caves and finding new passages in existing caves around where I lived," Rice said.\nClub members say they thrive on the excitement of rappelling down and crawling through Indiana caves such as Countdown Cave, Carcass Crypt and Suicide Cave.\nKillingbeck led eight people on the expedition Oct. 4 to the private cave in Washington, Ind., located on a farm an hour from Bloomington. The group, consisting of experienced cavers and amateurs, met at 10 a.m. for an all-day excursion.\nIn addition to Fredericksburg Cave, the Caving Club has navigated its way to Buckner's Cave in Monroe County this month and will explore Birdless Pit Cave Oct. 25. As it explores these subterranean captivities, this adventurous group can see Indiana's natural formations of stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, columns, draperies and cave coral.\nThe club's experienced guides navigate groups safely through tunnels, crawl spaces and large underground chambers and help spelunkers repel into pits when necessary. \nThe club will return to Buckner's Cave Nov. 1 for the Indiana Grotto's annual Halloween party.\nAnyone who is curious about caving can attend one of the monthly meetings held at 7:30 p.m. every first Thursday in the geology building, where new underground expeditions will be planned. \nFor more information, visit www.indiana.edu/~iusc/.\n-- Contact staff writer Christie Burke at chlburke@indiana.edu.